Apparatus for forming a silicon oxide film on a silicon wafer

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a method of forming a silicon oxide film on a silicon wafer, comprises the steps of keeping a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide on the surface of a silicon wafer in a thickness of not more than 20 mm, the solution having a predetermined temperature, heating the supersaturated solution until the solution reaches a thermal equilibrium, and maintaining for a predetermined period of time the temperature at which a thermal equilibrium is established in the supersaturated solution so as to form a silicon oxide film on the surface of the silicon wafer.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/928,070, filed Aug. 11,1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,645.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to formation of a silicon oxide film usedas an insulation film in a semiconductor device or a liquid crystaldevice, particularly, to a method and apparatus for depositing a siliconoxide film from a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution of siliconoxide at low temperatures.

2. Description of the Related Art

A silicon oxide (SiO₂) film, which is excellent in its mechanicalstrength and insulating properties, is used in various fields.Particularly, a silicon oxide film is used in a semiconductor device asan interlayer insulating film, a capacitor oxide film, an impuritydiffusion source, a gate oxide film, a protective film, etc. Also, wherean alkali-containing glass such as a soda-lime glass or a borosilicateglass is used as a substrate glass in a liquid crystal display panel ora solar cell, the glass surface is covered with a silicon oxide film forpreventing elution of the alkali component. Further, a silicon oxidefilm is used as a protective film for a plastic substrate surface of anoptical disk.

Known methods for forming a silicon oxide film include, for example,vacuum vapor deposition, sputtering, CVD and thermal oxidation ofsilicon. Recently, a method utilizing precipitation from asupersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide is employedfor forming a silicon oxide film, as disclosed in, for example,Published Examined Japanese Patent Application No. 1-27574 and JapanesePatent Application No. 2-418924. The silicon oxide film formed by theprecipitation method exhibits a high covering property and a highinsulation breakdown voltage. Also, the silicon oxide film can be formedat low temperatures. It follows that the precipitation method is usefulwhen employed for the manufacture of, particularly, a semiconductordevice. The silicon oxide film formed by the precipitation method isgenerally called an SORD (Silicon Oxide Room Temperature Deposition)film, a SORD SiO₂ film, or an LPD (Liquid Phase Deposition) film.

The precipitation method for forming a silicon oxide film on a substrateis particularly useful in the manufacture of a semiconductor device. Informing a silicon oxide film by the precipitation method, a saturatedsolution of silicon oxide is prepared by adding silicon oxide (silica)to hydrofluoric acid until the solution is saturated. In this case,silicon oxide reacts with hydrofluoric acid (HF) to form a saturatedstate as given below:

    H.sub.2 SiF.sub.6 +2H.sub.2 O⃡SiO.sub.2 +6HF   (1)

Then, aluminum is added to the saturated hydrofluoric acid solution ofsilicon oxide. As a result, aluminum reacts with hydrofluoric acid toform aluminum fluoride and hydrogen. If hydrofluoric acid is consumed byits reaction with aluminum, silicon oxide becomes excessive in thesolution so as to form a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution ofsilicon oxide. Silicon oxide in the supersaturated solution is depositedon the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer dipped inthe solution.

In the precipitation method outlined above, it is possible to use, forexample, iron or boric acid in place of aluminum for promoting thesilicon oxide precipitation. Also, the silicon oxide solubility inhydrofluoric acid is increased with temperature drop. Thus, if asolution saturated with silicon oxide at low temperatures is left tostand at high temperatures, the solution becomes supersaturated, leadingto precipitation of silicon oxide.

FIG. 17 shows an apparatus for forming a silicon oxide film by theconventional precipitation method described above. As shown in thedrawing, a film-forming vessel 1 is filled with a supersaturatedhydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide 3. The supersaturatedsolution 3 overflowing from the vessel 1 is received by an over-flowvessel 2 disposed in communication with the vessel 1 and, then, flowsthrough a pipe 4 connected to the bottom of the over-flow vessel 2 backinto the film-forming vessel 1. It is seen that the supersaturatedsolution 3 flowing through the pipe 4 passes through a pump 5 and afilter 6, with the result that the larger precipitated particles anddust entering the solution during the reaction or the circulation areremoved from the supersaturated solution 3.

An aluminum plate 7 is dipped in the solution 3 so as to make thesolution 3 within the film-forming vessel 1 supersaturated with siliconoxide. Specifically, aluminum within the over-flow vessel 2 is dissolvedin the solution and reacts with hydrofluoric acid, as describedpreviously, with the result that the equilibrium of the film-formingsolution denoted by formula (1) is collapsed so as to permitprecipitation of silicon oxide on the surface of, for example, asemiconductor wafer 8 dipped in the film-forming solution 3.

The precipitation method described above does not necessitate a vacuumapparatus and a high temperature reaction apparatus and, thus, issuperior to CVD method in the cost of an apparatus forming a siliconoxide film. Also, even if the substrate has a stepped portion, thesubstrate can be covered with a silicon oxide film of a uniformthickness. In other words, the silicon oxide film formed by theprecipitation method is superior to that formed by CVD in the stepcoverage property.

In the conventional precipitation method, however, the film-forming rateis as low as about 1000 Å/H (hour). In other words, it takes as much as10 hours to form a silicon oxide film having a thickness of, forexample, 1 μm. It should also be noted that precipitation takes placeeverywhere within the film-forming solution 3, with the result that assmall as only about 1% of silicon oxide precipitated from the solutionis deposited on the substrate 8. The major portion of the precipitatedsilicon oxide is caught by the filter 6, deposited on the inner surfaceof the film-forming vessel, or discarded in the step of washing thefilter. It follows that the utilization rate of the raw material siliconoxide is very low in the conventional precipitation method. What shouldalso be noted is that the silicon oxide deposited on the inner surfaceof the film-forming vessel is peeled to form a lump, which is attachedas dust to the substrate 8. Naturally, bad effects are given by theattached dust in the subsequent steps of manufacturing a semiconductordevice.

It is certainly possible to improve the film-forming rate in theconventional precipitation method by elevating the temperature of thefilm-forming solution 3 which is kept in general at 35° C. or byincreasing the amount of the aluminum plate 7 so as to increase thesilicon oxide precipitation rate. In this case, however, the amount ofthe precipitated silicon oxide particles caught by the filter 6 is alsoincreased, with the result that the filter 6 is plugged in a short timeand, thus, the silicon oxide film formation on the substrate 8 isimpaired. The highest film-forming rate achieved by the conventionalprecipitation method, in which the precipitation reaction is promotedwithout impairing the oxide film formation, is as low as only about 1400A/H. Even in this case, the utilization rate of the precipitated siliconoxide particles remains very low. In addition, a silicon oxide film islikely to be formed easily on the inner surface of the film-formingvessel in accordance with increase in the film-forming rate. The siliconoxide film thus formed tends to peel off and to be attached to thesubstrate 8, with the result that the subsequent steps for forming finepatterns are seriously impaired.

Further, it may be possible to enlarge the film-forming vessel 1 so asto permit a simultaneous processing of a large number of substrates.This measure certainly permits increasing the through-put of thefilm-forming apparatus. However, where a very large number of steps areinvolved in the manufacturing process of the desired article as in themanufacture of an LSI, it is desirable to diminish the processing timefor each step as much as possible in order to shorten the time requiredfor the manufacture of the desired article.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatusfor forming a silicon oxide film, which permits increasing thefilm-forming rate and utilization rate of the raw material, andsuppressing the dust generation from the apparatus.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method offorming a silicon oxide film on a silicon wafer, comprising the steps ofkeeping a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide onthe surface of a silicon wafer in a thickness of not more than 20 mm,said solution having a predetermined temperature; heating thesupersaturated solution until the solution reaches a thermalequilibrium; and maintaining for a predetermined period of time thetemperature at which a thermal equilibrium is established in thesupersaturated solution so as to form a silicon oxide film on thesurface of the silicon wafer.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for forming a siliconoxide film on a silicon wafer, comprising:

a vessel housing a silicon wafer and a supersaturated hydrofluoric acidsolution of silicon oxide, said supersaturated solution having apredetermined temperature;

means for keeping the supersaturated solution on the surface of thesilicon wafer in-a thickness of not more than 20 mm; and

means for heating the supersaturated solution until the solution reachesa thermal equilibrium.

In the method of the present invention, a supersaturated hydrofluoricacid solution of silicon oxide is kept on the substrate surface in athickness of not more than only 20 mm. The particular technique permitsmarkedly decreasing the amount of the solution used for forming an oxidefilm, e.g., decrease to about 1/14 for the conventional technique. Also,the temperature of the solution can be controlled very easily. Since thetemperature can be controlled at a level most adapted for the filmformation, the forming rate of the silicon oxide film can be increased.The particular technique also permits increasing the utilization rate ofthe raw material silicon oxide. Further, since in this embodiment theone time used solution is cast away, the dust generation from thefilm-forming apparatus can be suppressed.

The film-forming apparatus of the present invention comprises a meansfor keeping the thickness of a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solutionof silicon oxide at a predetermined level. The means has a thickness ofnot more than about 4 cm, houses a silicon wafer, and is filled with asupersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide. Theparticular construction permits markedly decreasing the amount of thesupersaturated solution required for forming asilicon oxide film on asingle wafer, compared with the conventional technique. Also, thetemperature of the supersaturated solution can be controlled as desiredby heating means, making it possible to markedly improve thefilm-forming rate, compared with the conventional technique. Further,the utilization rate of the raw material silicon oxide can be increasedin the apparatus of the present invention. Further, the dust generationfrom the apparatus can be suppressed.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means ofthe instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate presently preferred embodiments ofthe invention, and together with the general description given above andthe detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a cross sectional view showing the film-forming part of anapparatus for forming a silicon oxide film according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 1B shows the size of the film-forming part shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view showing the control section of asilicon oxide film-forming apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the number ofparticles having a diameter of not less than 1 μm and the preservetemperature;

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the film-forming rateand the equilibrium temperature T_(H) ;

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the number ofparticles having a diameter of not less than 1 μm and the thickness ofthe film-forming solution layer;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the thickness of theformed film and the equilibrium temperature T_(H) ;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the thickness of theformed film and the preserve temperature T_(L) ;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the thickness of theformed film and the film-forming time;

FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11, 12A, 12B, 12C and 13 are cross sectionalviews and plan views each showing a silicon wafer and tool used in thepresent invention;

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view showing a semiconductor devicemanufactured by employing the technical idea of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view showing a photo mask used in themethod of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is an oblique view showing a wiring substrate prepared byemploying the technical idea of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view showing a conventional apparatus forforming a silicon oxide film;

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationships between the time andtemperature and between the time and film-forming rate in respect of thefilm-forming apparatus of the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the silicon oxide(SiO₂) solubility and temperature in respect of the film-formingapparatus of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1A shows a cross section of the film-forming part of an apparatusfor forming a silicon oxide film according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

As shown in the drawing, a number of tools 12 each housing a substrate11 such as a silicon wafer are vertically arranged in the horizontaldirection within a constant temperature vessel 14. The end portions ofthe substrate 11 are fixed within the tool 12 so as to permit thesubstrate 11 to be kept upright within the tool 12. The clearancebetween the substrate 11 and the tool 12 is filled with a film-formingsolution 16, i.e., a supersaturated hydrofluoric acid solution ofsilicon oxide, held at such a low temperature as 25° C. or less, suchthat the entire region of the substrate 11 is covered with the solution16. In this embodiment, the preserve temperature of the film-formingsolution is set at about 0° C. A lid 13 is mounted to cover the upperopening of the tool 12 so as to prevent evaporation of the film-formingsolution 16. These tool, substrate and film-forming solution are heatedto desired temperatures within the constant temperature vessel 14. Inthis embodiment, the constant temperature vessel 14 is wound with a coil91 which is controlled by a control device 92.

A vibrating mechanism 15 is fixed to the lower surface of a base plateto which the tools 12 are mounted. The tool, substrate, and film-formingsolution are kept vibrated together by the vibrating mechanism 15 untila thermal equilibrium is established between the temperature of thefilm-forming solution and the ambient temperature so as to make theconvection generated within the film-forming solution uniform and, thus,to prevent a silicon oxide film formed on the surface of the substratefrom becoming nonuniform. In this embodiment, the vibrating mechanism 15generates an ultrasonic wave of 40 KHz. After a thermal equilibrium hasbeen established within the film-forming solution, the vibratingmechanism need not be operated because convection is not generatedwithin the film-forming solution.

FIG. 1B shows the size of the film-forming part shown in FIG. 1A. Partsa and b of FIG. 1B show cross sections perpendicular to each other of asingle tool 12 housing a single wafer 11. It is seen that the tool 12 is171 mm high, 150 mm long, and 5 mm wide. The wafer 11 housed in the tool12 has a diameter of 6 inches and a thickness of 0.65 mm. The tool 12 isfilled with the solution 16 and the upper opening of the tool 12 iscovered with the lid 13 so as to prevent evaporation of the solution 16.In this case, the solution layer formed on each of the front and backsurfaces of the wafer has a thickness of 2.175 mm. What should be notedis that the amount of the film-forming solution used for a single waferis only about 1/14, compared with the conventional precipitation methoddescribed previously.

To be more specific, the inner volume of the tool 12 is: 0.5×15×17.1=128cc. On the other hand, the volume of the wafer is 16 cc. It follows thatthe volume of the film-forming solution housed in the tool 12 is: 128cc-16 cc=112 cc.

On the other hand, 50 wafers are housed in the film-forming vessel 1 inthe conventional precipitation method described previously. In theconventional method, about 80 liters of the film-forming solution ishoused in the apparatus. It follows that the amount of the solutionrequired for each wafer is about 1600 cc, which is about 14 times asmuch as in the embodiment of the present invention. Because of therequirement for a large amount of the solution, the conventional methodalso necessitates the temperature control time more than about 10 timesas long as that for the present invention. It follows that, in actuallyforming a silicon oxide film by the conventional method, the solutiontemperature once set to an appropriate level, e.g., about 30° C., at thebeginning of the operation is kept constant in general until the filmformation on the last wafer is finished. Since the solution temperatureis kept constant, the equilibrium of reaction is not changed. Naturally,the conventional method is irrelevant to the technical idea of thepresent invention that the temperature is changed so as to bring aboutprecipitation of a large amount of silicon oxide. It follows that thefilm-forming efficiency is very low in the conventional method.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1B readily permits temperature change withefficiency more than about 10 times as high as in the conventionalmethod. It follows that the film-forming capacity can be markedlyimproved. Likewise, the processing time can be markedly shortened.

FIGS. 18 and 19 clearly show the effect of the present invention.Specifically, FIG. 18 includes graphs a and b respectively showing therelationships between the time and temperature and between the time andfilm-forming rate in respect of the film-forming apparatus of thepresent invention. On the other hand, FIG. 19 is a graph showing therelationship between the silicon oxide (SiO₂) solubility and temperaturein respect of the film-forming apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 19, the solubility of silicon oxide in hydrofluoricacid depends on temperature. Specifically, the silicon oxide solubilityis lowered with temperature elevation. In the present invention, thefilm-forming solution, which is set initially at a low temperature,e.g., 25° C., is heated to exceed the point of equilibrium denoted bythe curve shown in FIG. 19, with the result that the silicon oxidedissolved in the solution is precipitated to form a silicon oxide filmon the surface of the wafer. What should be noted is that thefilm-forming rate can be markedly increased by elevating the solutiontemperature, as apparent from the graph of FIG. 19.

Graph a included in FIG. 18 shows that the film-forming part included inthe apparatus of the present invention is rapidly heated to a desiredtemperature in a short time. On the other hand, graph b of FIG. 18 showsthat the film-forming rate achieved in the present invention is markedlyhigher than that in the prior art. As described previously, thetemperature of the film-forming solution, which is used in a very smallamount, can be easily controlled in the present invention, making itpossible to achieve a film-forming rate, i.e., 5000 to 15000 Å/H, whichis at least 5 times as high as in the prior art, by utilizing the changewith temperature in the equilibrium of the film-forming solution.

FIG. 2 shows the control section of the film-forming apparatus of thepresent invention. It is seen that the control section comprises astorage vessel 17 of a low temperature. The film-forming solution 16,which is saturated with silicon oxide such that the state ofsupersaturation can be formed immediately after heating of the solution,is stored in the storage vessel 17. During the storage in the storagevessel 17, the solution 16 is kept at a low temperature of not higherthan 25° C. so as to prevent silicon oxide from being precipitated fromthe solution 16.

The film-forming solution 16 stored in the storage vessel 17 is suppliedto a film-forming section through a liquid pipe 29. A filter 21 isconnected between the storage vessel 17 and the liquid pipe 29 so as toremove the silicon oxide particles generated in only a very small amountwithin the storage vessel 17. In order to keep the solution 16sufficiently clean, it is possible to connect, if necessary, a pump 19and a filter 20 to a pipe 18 extending from a part of the vessel 17 toanother part of the vessel 17. In this case, the solution 16 circulatedthrough the pipe 18 is filtered by the filter 20.

The film-forming solution 16 stored in the storage vessel 17 can beprepared in another device (not shown). In this embodiment, however, acontrol vessel 22 housing a temperature controller 26 and aluminumplates 27 is connected to the storage vessel 17. It is desirable toconnect a pump 24 and a filter 25 to a pipe 23 extending from a part ofthe control vessel 22 to another part of the vessel 22 so as to removelarge particles of the precipitated silicon oxide from the solutioncirculated through the pipe 23. The film-forming solution 16 prepared inthe vessel 22 is supplied through a pipe 28 into the storage vessel 17.

In this embodiment, 0.1 to 0.2 mol/liter of aluminum is added to thefilm-forming solution. In this case, the solution contains about 37 to39% by weight of H₂ SiF₆. In the film-forming apparatus of the presentinvention, the content of H₂ SiF₆ is lowered to about 25% by weightduring circulation of the-film-forming solution. However, thefilm-forming characteristics of the solution are not appreciablychanged.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the number of particles having adiameter of at least 1 μm and the preserve temperature T_(L), saidparticles being precipitated during storage at T_(L). On the other hand,FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the film-forming rate and theequilibrium temperature T_(H) in the case where the film-formingsolution and the substrate are heated to reach T_(H). As seen from FIG.3, the number of particles having a diameter of at least 1 μ, which arecontained in the film-forming solution, is increased to exceed 100/cm³,if T_(L) is increased to exceed 25° C. This indicates that, in order toprevent silicon oxide from being precipitated from the film-formingsolution 16 within the storage vessel 17, it is necessary to keep thepreserve temperature at 25° C. or lower. For achieving the filmformation effectively and rapidly, it is desirable to store thefilm-forming solution 16 at a temperature as low as possible.

FIG. 4 shows that the film-forming rate is increased with increase inthe equilibrium temperature T_(H). Thus, it is desirable to set thetemperature of the constant temperature vessel 14 shown in FIG. 1A at ahigh level, though the temperature should not be exceed 70° C. at whichthe film-forming solution 16 tends to be decomposed into SiF₄ and HFand, thus, to be evaporated. If the film-forming solution 16 isdecomposed End evaporated during the heating step, the film-formingsolution becomes insufficient or bubbles are formed within the solutionso as to impair the silicon oxide film formation, making it necessary toavoid the heating of the solution to temperatures higher than 70° C.Also, large silicon oxide particles tend to be precipitated within thefilm-forming solution under a high solution temperature. Since the largeparticles thus precipitated are attached to the substrate as dust, itseems appropriate to set the equilibrium temperature of the film-formingsolution 16 at 50° to 60° C. during the film-forming operation. In thiscase, the film-forming rate reaches as high as 14000 Å/H, which ismarkedly higher than in the prior art. Since the initial temperature ofthe solution is set at about 0° C., it is reasonable to understand thatthe film-forming rate is increased with increase in the differencebetween T_(L) and T_(H).

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the thickness of the solutionlayer and the number of particles having a diameter of at least 1 μm,said particles being attached to the wafer in the case where a siliconoxide film having a thickness of 5000 Å was formed by the method of thepresent invention on a silicon wafer having a diameter of 5 inches. Itshould be noted that, in order to form a silicon oxide film having athickness of 1 μm on a substrate, it suffices for the solution layer tohave a thickness of about 1 mm, though the value of the thicknessdiffers depending on the method of preparing the film-forming solution.On the other hand, more than 20 silicon oxide particles having adiameter of at least 1 μm are attached to the substrate wafer, if thethickness of the solution layer covering the substrate exceeds 20 mm, asshown in FIG. 5. In this case, the properties of the silicon oxide filmformed on the substrate are deteriorated. It follows that it isappropriate to set the thickness of the solution layer at about 20 mm orless.

In the present invention, the film-forming solution 16 is heated forforming a silicon oxide film on the substrate. The solution is rapidlyheated in the present invention from a low temperature to a hightemperature to make the degree of supersaturation of the film-formingsolution markedly higher than that in the prior art, leading to a highfilm-forming rate. Further, the high degree of supersaturation achievedin the present invention permits improving the utilization rate of theraw material silicon oxide. What should also be noted is that the tool12 can be washed every time the film-forming operation is finished.Since the tool 12 can be kept clean, dust generation from the tool 12can also be prevented in the present invention. Further, it is certainlypossible to circulate the film-forming solution 16 for filtration.However, the solution is cooled during the circulation, making itdifficult to achieve the heating of the solution as desired. Inaddition, the circulation is not so advantageous in terms of theutilization rate of the solution.

FIG. 6 shows how the silicon oxide film formation is affected by thealuminum addition to the film-forming solution. In this case, thefilm-forming solution contained about 37 to 38% by weight of H₂ SiF₆.The aluminum concentration was 0.2 mol/liter for curve A, 0.2 mol/literfor curve B, 0.1 mol/liter for curve C, and 0.18 mol/liter for the priorart. The relationship between the equilibrium temperature T_(H) and thethickness of the silicon oxide film formed was measured in thisexperiment, with the preserve temperature T_(L) of the film-formingsolution set at 0° C. The substrate silicon wafer was verticallyarranged within the film-forming solution for the silicon oxide filmformation. The film-forming time was found to be 1.5 hours for curve A,0.5 hour for curve B, 0.5 hour for curve C, and 1 hour and 0.5 hour forthe prior art. As shown in FIG. 6, the film-forming rate for the presentinvention, in which a large difference is provided between the preservetemperature T_(L) and the equilibrium temperature T_(H), was markedlyhigher than for the prior art. Also, the thickness of the formed film isincreased with increase in the aluminum concentration.

FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the preserve temperature T_(L) andthe film-forming rate, with the equilibrium temperature set constant. Inthe experiments relating to FIGS. 3 to 6, the substrate was verticallyarranged within the film-forming solution. In the experiment relating toFIG. 7, however, the substrate was horizontally disposed within thefilm-forming solution for forming a silicon oxide film. The film-formingsolution used contained 37 to 38% by weight of H₂ SiF₆ and 0.1 mol/literof aluminum. The solution was used 10 days after preparation. Theequilibrium temperature T_(H) was set at 50° C. in every case, and thethickness of the silicon oxide film was measured 30 minutes later. Asshown in the graph, the thickness of the silicon oxide film was found tobe 6500 Å, 5700 Å and 3000 Å where the preserve temperature was set at0° C., 5° C. and 25° C., respectively. It follows that the film-formingrate is increased with increase in the difference between the preservetemperature and the equilibrium temperature, as pointed out previously.In other words, the film-forming rate is greatly dependent on the degreeof supersaturation of the film-forming solution.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the film-forming time and thethickness of the formed film. In this experiment, the substrate wasvertically arranged within the film-forming solution. Film-formingsolutions A and B contained about 38% and 20% by weight of H₂ SiF₆,respectively, and 0.2 mol/liter of aluminum was added to each ofsolutions A and B. As shown in FIG. 8, the film thickness was increaseduntil the film-forming time reached about 1 hour in each of cases A andB. However, no further increase in the film thickness was recognizedafter the film-forming time exceeded about 1 hour. FIG. 8 also showsthat the thickness of the silicon oxide film is dependent on theconcentration of H₂ SiF₆. In other words, the thickness of the siliconoxide film can be controlled by controlling the H₂ SiF₆ concentration ofthe film-forming solution. In the present invention, it is desirable toset the concentration of H₂ SiF₆ to fall within a range of between 20%and 38% by weight.

A constant temperature vessel is used as a heating means in theembodiment shown in FIG. 1A. Alternatively, it is possible to use awater bath or a heater as a heating means. Also, a large number of tools12 each housing a substrate 11 and standing upright are arranged in thehorizontal direction in the embodiment of FIG. 1A. However, these tools12 may be arranged to lie such that the substrate 11 housed thereinextends in the horizontal direction. Further, a plurality of substratesmay be housed in each tool 12. Still further, the substrates may bearranged by utilizing the surface tension of the film-forming solutionwithout using the tool 12.

FIGS. 9 to 13 show other embodiments of the present invention withrespect to the construction of the tool 12 and the substratearrangement. Specifically, FIGS. 9A and 9B are a cross sectional viewand a plan view, respectively, showing the tool 12 and substrates housedtherein. As shown in these drawings, the tool 12 comprises a pluralityof tool sections each housing a substrate 11. The end portion of thesubstrate 11 is fixed within the tool section so as to keep thesubstrate 11 upright within the tool section. For fixing the substrate agroove is formed on the inner side wall and bottom wall of the tool 12.The end portion of the substrate 11 is engaged with the groove forfixing the substrate. Further, the tool sections are joined to eachother by a joining portion 121 so as to form an integral structureconstituting the tool 12. A clearance 30 formed between adjacent toolsections is filled with water or air, making it possible to effectivelyheat the tool sections. Further, each tool section is filled with afilm-forming solution 16 in a manner to cover the entire region of thesubstrate 11. Still further, a lid 13 is disposed to close the entireupper opening of the tool 12 so as to prevent substantially completelythe evaporation of the film-forming solution 16. It should be noted thatthe clearance 30 noted above makes it possible to heat uniformly theboth surfaces of the substrate 11. In this embodiment, the tool sectionis 5 mm wide, and the substrate wafer is 0.65 mm thick. It follows thatthe solution layer 11 covering each surface of the substrate 11 is 2.175mm thick. Of course, the thickness of the solution layer 11 need not berestricted to 2.175 mm as far as the solution layer is thin enough toproduce the particular effect of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are a cross sectional view and a plan view,respectively, showing the tool 12 and substrates housed thereinaccording to another embodiment of the present invention. In thisembodiment, a number of substrates are vertically arranged within thetool 12. Evaporation of the film-forming solution 16 is suppressed by alid 13 covering the entire upper end of the tool 12. In this embodiment,a large amount of the film-forming solution is housed in the tool 12,with the result that a longer heating time is required for elevating thetemperature of the solution to a desired level. However, theconstruction of the tool 12 is very simple, making it possible to handlethe substrates very easily within the tool 12. Also, a number ofsubstrates can be simultaneously processed easily in this embodiment.

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, each substrate 11 is held upright.However, the substrate 11 may be inclined by about 45°. If the substrate11 is inclined by about 3° from the vertical, the inclination permitsfacilitating the release of the bubbles formed within the film-formingsolution during the film formation from the substrate surface. Itfollows that the film can be formed uniformly. The particular effectproduced by the inclination can also be produced in the case where asingle substrate is housed in the tool 12. Further, release of thebubbles can be facilitated in the case of horizontally disposing thesubstrate, if the substrate is somewhat inclined. It should be notedthat the distance between adjacent substrate wafers 11 disposed withinthe tool 12 is 4.76 mm. Of course, the distance need not be restrictedto 4.76 mm as far as the amount of the film-forming solution positionedbetween the adjacent substrates is small enough to ensure the particulareffect of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the tool 12 and substrates 11 housedtherein according to another embodiment of the present invention. Theembodiment of FIG. 11 is intermediate in technical idea between theembodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, a number ofsubstrates 11 are vertically fixed at once within the tool 12. Thesesubstrates are engaged with grooves formed on the bottom of the tool 12so as to make the substrates stationary within the tool 12. As seen fromthe drawing, a groove is not formed on the inner surface of the wall ofthe tool 12. Since a clearance is provided between the inner wall of thetool and the substrate 11, the circulation of the film-forming solutionis facilitated within the tool 12. As a result, the film-formingsolution 16 can be poured at once into the tool 12. Further, a clearance30 is provided between adjacent substrates 11, making it possible toheat the film-forming solution 16 to the equilibrium temperature in ashort time, as in the embodiment of FIG. 10. Incidentally, it is notabsolutely necessary to provide the clearance 30 for every substrate. Inother words, it is possible to interpose a plurality of substrates 11between adjacent clearances 30. In this case, the optimum distancebetween the adjacent substrates separated from each other by thesolution alone is 0.1 to 8.0 mm. This is also the case with theembodiment of FIG. 10. Where the distance between the adjacentsubstrates noted above falls within the range noted above, it ispossible to suppress attachment of large particles having a diameter ofat least 1 μm to a silicon wafer having a diameter of 5 inches.Specifically, only two or three large particles are attached to thewafer. It follows that it is possible to form a silicon oxide film ofgood characteristics. In addition, the productivity can be increasedbecause a larger number of substrates can be mounted in the tool 12.Further, the heating of the solution is facilitated.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 9 to 11, the lower end of the substrate isin contact with the bottom of the tool 12. However, it is possible tofix the substrate in the intermediate portion of the tool such that thelower end of the substrate is not in contact with the bottom of thetool.

FIG. 11 shows that the solution layer has a thickness of 4.76 mm. It isalso shown that the substrate 11 is 0.65 mm thick and that the clearance30 is 5 mm wide in the inner surface and 7 mm wide in the outer surface.However, the size shown in FIG. 11 is no more than an example. Ofcourse, the size can be determined appropriately as far as the amount ofthe film-forming solution is small enough to produce the particulareffect of the present invention.

FIGS. 12A, 12B and 12C are cross sectional views each showing anadditional embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment ofFIG. 12A, the substrate 11 is disposed to lie horizontal within the tool12, and the clearance between the substrate 11 and the bottom surface ofthe tool 12 is completely filled with the film-forming solution. Asapparent from the drawing, a silicon oxide film is formed on the lowersurface alone of the substrate 11. Of course, it is possible to use asystem consisting of a plurality of structures shown in FIG. 12A, ifdesired.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12B, the substrate 11 is also disposed to liehorizontal. In this case, the upper surface alone of the substrate 11 iscovered with the film-forming solution 16. Naturally, a silicon oxidefilm is formed on the upper surface alone of the substrate 11. Ofcourse, it is possible to use a system consisting of a plurality ofstructures shown in FIG. 12B, if desired. In this embodiment, thebubbles, even if generated within the film-forming solution 16, arereleased upward and, thus, are not attached to the substrate.

The substrate 11 is also disposed to lie horizontal in the embodiment ofFIG. 12C, too. In this embodiment, the film-forming solution is held byits own surface tension on the upper surface of the substrate 11. It ispossible to dispose the substrate 11 on the bottom surface of the tool12, as shown in the drawing. Further, the upper opening of the tool 12is covered with a lid 13. In this embodiment, the film-forming solutionis not in direct contact with the tool, making it possible to preventsubstantially completely the dust generation caused by the depositionand peeling of silicon oxide. This embodiment is useful when it isdesired to form a silicon oxide film on a part of the substrate surface.

FIG. 13 shows a still another embodiment of the present invention. Inthis case, a plurality of tools 12 are stacked one upon the other, andthese tools 12 are joined to each other at one end so as to form anintegral structure. A substrate 11 is disposed to lie horizontal withineach tool 12, and the upper surface of the substrate 11 is covered withthe film-forming solution 16. Further, the integral structure consistingof the plural tools 12 is housed in a vessel 32 so as to suppressevaporation of the solution 16 in the heating step. Of course, aplurality of substrates can be processed simultaneously in thisembodiment. If the amount of the solution 16 positioned on the uppersurface of the substrate 11 is small enough to permit the solution 16 tobe held by its own surface tension, it is possible to markedly suppressthe dust generation caused by deposition and peeling of silicon oxide,as in the embodiment of FIG. 12C.

The silicon oxide film formed by the method of the present invention,i.e., SORD film, exhibits excellent electrical characteristics. Inaddition, the step coverage of the oxide film to a semiconductorsubstrate is more excellent than that of other insulating films. Itfollows that the silicon oxide film formed by the method of the presentinvention is useful particularly where the oxide film is used as aninterlayer insulation film in a semiconductor device, as shown in FIG.14. It should be noted in this connection that the reaction within thefilm-forming solution between aluminum and hydrofluoric acid is utilizedfor precipitating silicon oxide in the method of the present invention,as described previously. Thus, an aluminum wiring included in thesemiconductor device should not be brought into direct contact with thefilm-forming solution. It follows that where an aluminum wiring isincluded in the substrate surface, it is necessary to form a thin plasmaCVD SiO₂ film using TEOS as a raw material before formation of the SORDfilm.

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view showing a semiconductor substrate 61including active regions. The surface of the substrate 61 is coveredwith a CVD SiO₂ film, a BPSG film, or a laminated film 65 thereof. Analuminum wiring 66 is formed on the laminated film 65, and a plasma CVDSiO₂ film 67 is formed to cover the aluminum wiring 66. Further, a SORDfilm 68 is formed by the method of the present invention in a thicknessof about 1 μm so as to form an interlayer insulation film.

FIG. 15 shows that the method of the present invention can be employedin the manufacture of a photo mask used in an exposure apparatus. Wherea photo mask is prepared by forming a mask pattern 72 including of, forexample, Cr on a glass substrate 71, as shown in the drawing, the phaseof the incident light is deviated in some cases at the edge portion ofthe mask pattern, resulting in failure to form an accurate resistpattern. In this case, it is desirable to form an SORD film 73 by themethod of the present invention in a thickness of about 2000 Å so as tocover the edge portion of the mask pattern 72. The SORD film 73 thusformed permits correctly shifting the phase of the incident light.

FIG. 16 shows that the method of the present invention can be employedin the manufacture of a printed circuit board. In forming a printedcircuit board on which a semiconductor chip such as an LSI is mounted,it is popular nowadays to employ a method utilizing a metal paste.However, it is considerably difficult to coat the substrate surface witha metal paste uniformly and in parallel with the substrate surface. If ametal paste is used for forming a fine wiring pattern, short-circuitingis likely to take place between adjacent wiring layers. To overcome thedifficulty, a desired portion on the surface of a wiring substrate 81 iscoated with a the film-forming solution 16 taken out through a nozzle82. As a result, silicon oxide grows to form a silicon oxide film 83which projects from the surface of the substrate 81. Then, that regionof the substrate surface which is defined by the projecting siliconoxide film 83 is coated with a metal paste so as to form a wiring 84. Inthis case, the adjacent wirings are separated from each other by thesilicon oxide film 83. It follows that a short-circuiting need not beworried about.

As described previously, a vibrating mechanism 15 is included in thefilm-forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1A. The vibrating mechanism 15 isvibrated in the vertical direction. The substrate 11, which is fixedupright, is vibrated by the vibrating mechanism in a directionperpendicular to the thickness direction of the substrate. If thevibrating mechanism is vibrated with a frequency of 50 Hz to 40 kHz, asilicon oxide film is formed uniformly on the substrate surfaces. Whenvibration was imparted to the substrate in the thickness direction, thesilicon oxide film formation was made unsatisfactory in the highfrequency of the vibration.

It is necessary to select the material of the tool 12 in view of thedeposition of the silicon oxide precipitated from the film-formingsolution. Specifically, it is desirable for the silicon oxide onceattached to the tool 12 not to be peeled off easily. In this sense, thetool 12 should be formed of SiC or quartz. It is also desirable that thesilicon oxide be scarcely attached to the tool 12. In this sense, it isdesirable to use the material of Cr for forming the tool 12. When itcomes to the tool 12 made of Teflon or polyvinyl chloride, however,silicon oxide attached to the tool 12 is readily peeled off so as to bedeposited on the substrate in the form of silicon oxide particles.Naturally, Teflon, polyvinyl chloride or the like should not be used forforming the tool 12.

The silicon oxide film-forming apparatus of the present invention mayfurther comprise a washing-drying mechanism for facilitating thepre-treatment or after-treatment of the substrate or for facilitatingthe washing of the tool. It is also possible to incorporate an automatictransfer system into the apparatus of the present invention so as tosave the man power required for the transfer of the substrate, tool,etc.

Where the equilibrium temperature of the film-forming solution is set at50° C., the apparatus of the present invention permits a film-formingrate which is about 5 to 15 times as high as that achieved by theconventional apparatus. Specifically, the film-forming rate achieved bythe conventional apparatus is about 1000 Å/H at a film-formingtemperature of about 35° C. On the other hand, the apparatus of thepresent invention permits achieving a film-forming rate as high as 5000to 15000 Å/H.

In the case of using the tool 12 constructed as shown in FIG. 9, about40% of silicon oxide dissolved in the film-forming solution can bedeposited on the substrate. On the other hand, the utilization rate ofthe raw material silicon oxide is only about 1% in the conventionalapparatus. When a silicon oxide film formed on the substrate wasobserved with an electron microscope, recognized were dome-like siliconoxide projections having a diameter smaller than 0.5 μm, i.e., siliconoxide particles precipitated from the film-forming solution and attachedto the substrate. However, the dust generated from the film-formingapparatus was not recognized at all. In conclusion, the film-formingapparatus of the present invention permits improving the film-formingrate and the utilization rate of the raw material silicon oxide. Inaddition, the dust generation from the apparatus can be suppressed.

As described above in detail, the particular construction of the presentinvention permits markedly improving the forming rate of a silicon oxidefilm. In addition, the dust generation from the film-forming apparatuscan be effectively suppressed, making it possible to form a siliconoxide film having excellent characteristics. Further, the amount ofsilicon oxide attached to, for example, the inner surface of the vesselof the film-forming solution is markedly smaller in the presentinvention than in the prior art. It follows that the present inventionpermits markedly improving the utilization rate of the raw materialsilicon oxide.

Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects isnot limited to the specific details, and illustrated examples shown anddescribed herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for forming a silicon oxide film ona silicon wafer, comprising:means for keeping a supersaturatedhydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide in a thickness not more than20 mm; and means for heating the supersaturated solution until thesolution reaches a thermal equilibrium.
 2. An apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising means for controlling the temperature of thesupersaturated solution at about 25° C. or lower.
 3. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said heating means heats thesupersaturated solution to about 20° C.
 4. An apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the thermal equilibrium temperature is 25° to 70° C. 5.An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal equilibriumtemperature is 50° to 60° C.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the wafer is held upright within the means for keeping thesupersaturated solution on the silicon wafer.
 7. An apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein a plurality of the means for keeping thesupersaturated solution on the silicon wafer are stacked one upon theother at an interval, each means having a single wafer housed thereinand the supersaturated solution being kept on the wafer by the surfacetension.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wafer isinclined from the horizontal within the means for keeping thesupersaturated solution on the silicon wafer.
 9. An apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein a plurality of silicon wafers are housed in themeans for keeping the supersaturated solution on the silicon wafer. 10.An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the wafers are disposed 0.1to 8.0 mm apart from each other.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 1,wherein a plurality of means for keeping the supersaturated solution onthe silicon wafer are disposed apart from each other with a clearanceprovided therebetween, each means housing a single wafer.
 12. Anapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for vibratingthe means for keeping the supersaturated solution on the silicon wafer.13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for keeping thesupersaturated solution on the silicon wafer is constructed such thatthe solution layer is formed in contact with the upper surface of thesilicon wafer.
 14. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the meansfor keeping the supersaturated solution on the silicon wafer isconstructed such that the solution layer is formed in contact with thelower surface of the silicon wafer.
 15. An apparatus according to claim1, wherein the supersaturated solution contains aluminum or boric acid.16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solution layer iskept on the silicon wafer by utilizing the surface tension of thesolution.
 17. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a groove forholding the silicon wafer is formed in the means for keeping thesupersaturated solution on the silicon wafer.
 18. An apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the means for keeping the supersaturated solution onthe silicon wafer contains SiC, quartz or the material of Cr.
 19. Anapparatus for forming a silicon oxide film on a silicon wafer,comprising:means for controlling the temperature of a supersaturatedhydrofluoric acid solution of silicon oxide at about 25° C. or lower;means for keeping said supersaturated solution on a silicon wafer in athickness not more than 20 mm; and means for heating the supersaturatedsolution to 25° to 70° C.
 20. An apparatus for forming a silicon oxidefilm on a silicon wafer, comprising:means for keeping a reactingsolution of a temperature on the surface of a silicon wafer in athickness not more than 20 mm; and means for heating the reactingsolution until the solution reaches a thermal equilibrium.